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HP Oldies.

 

I've been adding to my collection of HP acquisitions, from what
I've been able to find in the search of patents BRC had some interesting on creating FM modulation. Their 202 series FM generators were the 'standard' for anyone doing work on VHF FM which in the 60's for telemetry was a big money maker. And if you were designing for consumer FM you bought a 202.

And of course the Q-Meter was a big seller.

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@..., "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@...> wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "David DiGiacomo" <daviddigiacomo@...>
To: <hp_agilent_equipment@...>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 3:49 PM
Subject: Re: [hp_agilent_equipment] HP Oldies.


On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Dave Daniel
<kc0wjn@...> wrote:
Wow. I didn't know HP bought Boonton. I always liked
Boonton
instruments, probably because I was born in Boonton. When
did HP buy them?

Dave
This is confusing (at least to me), because there was
Boonton
Electronics, Boonton Measurements (usually just called
Measurements),
and Boonton Radio. HP bought Boonton Radio, but not the
other two.
Most of the familiar Boonton instruments are from Boonton
Electronics.
Boonton Electronics made sensitive electronic
voltmeters and some other equipment. Measurements Corp made
voltmeters and signal generators. I have a frequency
calibrator/marker made by Measurements Corp. Boonton Radio
Corp made the Q-Meter, which they originated, the RX-Meter,
which is a consolidation of an RF bridge, signal generator,
and detector in one box, and a variety of signal generators,
mainly FM, and test sets for air navigation equipment.
There was also Aircraft Radio Corporation or ARC, which
was a pioneer in airborne radio equipment. There were a
couple of other companies too but my memory is not very
reliable about them.
-hp- bought only Boonton Radio Corporation. I don't
know what they wanted. They continued to build the Q-Meter
and RX-Meter for a time and a small VHF signal generator,
originally sold under the Boonton name and later as an -hp-
product.
At the time -hp- bought Boonton they were buying a lot
of small companies.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@...
Peter Gottlieb
 

What was so special about the 202? Are today's generators as good?

On 12/24/2012 6:27 PM, petepdx1955 wrote:

I've been adding to my collection of HP acquisitions, from what
I've been able to find in the search of patents BRC had some interesting on creating FM modulation. Their 202 series FM generators were the 'standard' for anyone doing work on VHF FM which in the 60's for telemetry was a big money maker. And if you were designing for consumer FM you bought a 202.

And of course the Q-Meter was a big seller.

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@... <mailto:hp_agilent_equipment%40yahoogroups.com>, "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@...> wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "David DiGiacomo" <daviddigiacomo@...>
To: <hp_agilent_equipment@...
<mailto:hp_agilent_equipment%40yahoogroups.com>>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 3:49 PM
Subject: Re: [hp_agilent_equipment] HP Oldies.


On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Dave Daniel
<kc0wjn@...> wrote:
Wow. I didn't know HP bought Boonton. I always liked
Boonton
instruments, probably because I was born in Boonton. When
did HP buy them?

Dave
This is confusing (at least to me), because there was
Boonton
Electronics, Boonton Measurements (usually just called
Measurements),
and Boonton Radio. HP bought Boonton Radio, but not the
other two.
Most of the familiar Boonton instruments are from Boonton
Electronics.
Boonton Electronics made sensitive electronic
voltmeters and some other equipment. Measurements Corp made
voltmeters and signal generators. I have a frequency
calibrator/marker made by Measurements Corp. Boonton Radio
Corp made the Q-Meter, which they originated, the RX-Meter,
which is a consolidation of an RF bridge, signal generator,
and detector in one box, and a variety of signal generators,
mainly FM, and test sets for air navigation equipment.
There was also Aircraft Radio Corporation or ARC, which
was a pioneer in airborne radio equipment. There were a
couple of other companies too but my memory is not very
reliable about them.
-hp- bought only Boonton Radio Corporation. I don't
know what they wanted. They continued to build the Q-Meter
and RX-Meter for a time and a small VHF signal generator,
originally sold under the Boonton name and later as an -hp-
product.
At the time -hp- bought Boonton they were buying a lot
of small companies.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <>
Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2637/5483 - Release Date: 12/24/12
 

Nothing special by today's standards but in 1952 it was. I'll see if I can dig up the information that was sent to me.

Here is a description of the last of the series the H/J


-pete

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@..., Peter Gottlieb <hpnpilot@...> wrote:

What was so special about the 202? Are today's generators as good?

On 12/24/2012 6:27 PM, petepdx1955 wrote:

I've been adding to my collection of HP acquisitions, from what
I've been able to find in the search of patents BRC had some interesting on
creating FM modulation. Their 202 series FM generators were the 'standard' for
anyone doing work on VHF FM which in the 60's for telemetry was a big money
maker. And if you were designing for consumer FM you bought a 202.

And of course the Q-Meter was a big seller.

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@...
<mailto:hp_agilent_equipment%40yahoogroups.com>, "Richard Knoppow"
<dickburk@> wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "David DiGiacomo" <daviddigiacomo@>
To: <hp_agilent_equipment@...
<mailto:hp_agilent_equipment%40yahoogroups.com>>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 3:49 PM
Subject: Re: [hp_agilent_equipment] HP Oldies.


On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Dave Daniel
<kc0wjn@> wrote:
Wow. I didn't know HP bought Boonton. I always liked
Boonton
instruments, probably because I was born in Boonton. When
did HP buy them?

Dave
This is confusing (at least to me), because there was
Boonton
Electronics, Boonton Measurements (usually just called
Measurements),
and Boonton Radio. HP bought Boonton Radio, but not the
other two.
Most of the familiar Boonton instruments are from Boonton
Electronics.
Boonton Electronics made sensitive electronic
voltmeters and some other equipment. Measurements Corp made
voltmeters and signal generators. I have a frequency
calibrator/marker made by Measurements Corp. Boonton Radio
Corp made the Q-Meter, which they originated, the RX-Meter,
which is a consolidation of an RF bridge, signal generator,
and detector in one box, and a variety of signal generators,
mainly FM, and test sets for air navigation equipment.
There was also Aircraft Radio Corporation or ARC, which
was a pioneer in airborne radio equipment. There were a
couple of other companies too but my memory is not very
reliable about them.
-hp- bought only Boonton Radio Corporation. I don't
know what they wanted. They continued to build the Q-Meter
and RX-Meter for a time and a small VHF signal generator,
originally sold under the Boonton name and later as an -hp-
product.
At the time -hp- bought Boonton they were buying a lot
of small companies.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <>
Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2637/5483 - Release Date: 12/24/12
 

Thanks. I'll keep watching eBay and see what comes along.

Regards.

Max. K 4 O DS.

Email: max@...

Transistor site
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To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to.
funwithtransistors-subscribe@...

To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to,
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To subscribe to the fun with wood group send a blank email to
funwithwood-subscribe@...

----- Original Message -----
From: "petepdx1955" <petepdx1955@...>
To: <hp_agilent_equipment@...>
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2012 5:06 PM
Subject: [hp_agilent_equipment] Re: HP Oldies.



A couple weeks ago was a very very clean 250-A, have you checked the completed items. The seller was only asking something like $50 for it.

Was listed at least the first time with no bidders, didnt see if it went the 2nd time.

260-A's come up at least ever 3-4 months.

My spare parts 260-A's came free from a ham swap meet.

I'd just wait, they will show up again.

-pete

BRL 250-A, HP 250-A, HP 250-B.


--- In hp_agilent_equipment@..., "Max Robinson" <max@...> wrote:

I am looking for a couple of HP oldies. The 260A Q meter and the 250A RX
meter. I can't find any on eBay. These two instruments were carried over
from Boonton when HP bought them out.

Regards.

Max. K 4 O DS.

Email: max@...

Transistor site
Vacuum tube site:
Woodworking site

Music site:

To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to.
funwithtransistors-subscribe@...

To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to,
funwithtubes-subscribe@...

To subscribe to the fun with wood group send a blank email to
funwithwood-subscribe@...



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links
 

We moved from there when I was five years old. I never knew that there
was as many electronics companies in the area as you list.

Dave

On 12/24/2012 4:16 PM, petepdx1955 wrote:

There were two companies with Boonton in their name

Boonton Electronics. Now a division of a British company boonton.com
if interested.

Their two biggest contributions were a C and L bridges that ran at 1
MHz, and a power meter head using diodes.

Boonton Radio Corporation or BRC. These are the guys HP bought. The
Q-Meter is prob the biggest contribution, but they did a few other
things very well one of which was generators that could FM better then
any one else at the time.

The area around Boonton was quite the concentration, all basically
springing from a company called Ferris Instruments. Ballentine was
another off shoot.

Another company not into instruments but in the same area was Aircraft
Radio Corp, or ARC.

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@...
<mailto:hp_agilent_equipment%40yahoogroups.com>, Dave Daniel
<kc0wjn@...> wrote:

Wow. I didn't know HP bought Boonton. I always liked Boonton
instruments, probably because I was born in Boonton. When did HP buy
them?

Dave


On 12/21/2012 12:59 PM, Max Robinson wrote:

I am looking for a couple of HP oldies. The 260A Q meter and the
250A RX
meter. I can't find any on eBay. These two instruments were
carried over
from Boonton when HP bought them out.

Regards.

Max. K 4 O DS.

Email: max@... <mailto:max%40maxsmusicplace.com>

Transistor site
Vacuum tube site:
Woodworking site

Music site:

To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to.
funwithtransistors-subscribe@...
<mailto:funwithtransistors-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:funwithtransistors-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>

To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to,
funwithtubes-subscribe@...
<mailto:funwithtubes-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:funwithtubes-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>

To subscribe to the fun with wood group send a blank email to
funwithwood-subscribe@...
<mailto:funwithwood-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:funwithwood-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com>
 

Both the 260-A Q-Meter and the 250-A RX Meter were made under the HP brand. Development continued for a while in NJ. A 250-B was made.

The 260-A was replaced by the 4342A.

RX meters vanished and were replaced by VNA's



One not mentioned was the higher frequency Q-Meter, the 190-A. I have
a 190B, which is different andappears to be almost production. With
it came some design notes on a redesign replacing the tubes with transistors. Sadly no names on any of the notes.

There are a couple useful sites for the 260-A

(manuals)



k5bcq talks about making his own work coils, for a long time 103A's were pretty much non existent. But over the past 3 to 4 years they have been showing up. The ones above 5 MHz are still pretty rare.

And if your patient the 518A standards can be had.

--- In hp_agilent_equipment@..., "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@...> wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Daniel" <kc0wjn@...>
To: <hp_agilent_equipment@...>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: [hp_agilent_equipment] HP Oldies.


Really? I thought I've seen Boonton instruments younger
than that. Did
HP keep the Boonton name for a while after the
acquisition?

Dave
Boonton radio started in 1934 as Radio Frequency
Laboratories and reformed as Boonton Radio Corporation a
short time later. Its first product was the Q-Meter. -hp-
kept the Boonton name for a couple of years anyway. I don't
know if any Q-Meters or RX-Meters were made with the -hp-
trade mark on them but the name is on the label on the back.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@...

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